Bridge Romme Whist

German deck, dating from around 1940. 52 cards and 2 Jokers. Pips are Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades. The translation from the front is: Bridge, Rummy, Whist. French Picture (meaning the design on the front of the cards) No 11, 54 cards, Matched back. On the side of the box its says, " Mit Goldecken, meaning with gold corners, though there is no trace of this on the cards. The box is wrapped in a UK tax duty wrapper of C Goodall & Son, the design of which dates to 1940. These cards were made by the Belgium Turnhout-based cardmaker Leonard Biermans, during the Nazi-occupation of Belgium, from May 1940 until September 1944 for the German market. Turnhout was freed from the Nazi's by the Polar Bears Regiment on September 24th. One can immediately see that it's an 'occupation-deck' by the 'Wüst'-star on the box, and that you'll also find on the 7 of hearts. The images on the cards themselves are indeed 'Dutch', and not 'French', so there is some rebellion in these cards against the Nazis. The wrapping of a UK tax paper is unlikely to have been round these, unless they were resold in the UK after the war. (With grateful thanks to Stefan Lauwers and Pedro Bouca for their amazing detective work)